Superabsorbent crosslinked copolymers formed from an ampholytic ion pair (2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium cation (MEDMA)/sulfonate anion) copolymerized with other comonomers

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides crosslinked ampholytic copolymers that are highly absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions. The polymers of the present invention comprise polymers formed by the copolymerization of an effective amount of each of the following components to produce a polymer which is highly absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions: 
     (a) an ampholytic ion pair monomer comprising 
     (i) the ammonium cation 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium and 
     (ii) a sulfonate anion selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate, vinyl sulfonate, styrene sulfonate and any combination of two or more thereof; 
     (b) at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, alkali salts of acrylic acid, alkali salts of methacrylic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylamine, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and any combination of two or more thereof; and 
     (c) at least one crosslinking agent which has at least two polymerizable olefinic functionalities wherein the olefinic functionalities are suitable for crosslinking. 
     The invention also provides a method of using the polymers of the present invention for absorbing an aqueous electrolyte solution comprising the step of contacting the polymers of the present invention with the aqueous electrolyte solution.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 07/596,180, filed Oct. 12, 1990, now, U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,389.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to crosslinked superabsorbant copolymers formed from an ampholytic ion pair (2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium cation (MEDMA)/sulfonate anion) copolymerized with other comonomers. A further aspect of the invention relates to a method of using the aforesaid crosslinked superabsorbant copolymers for absorbing aqueous electrolyte solutions.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Polymers for absorbing aqueous electrolyte solutions are used in numerous commercial and industrial applications. For example, polymers are used to improve the water absorbency of paper towels and disposable diapers.

Though known water absorbing polymers are highly absorbent to deionized water, they are dramatically less absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions such as sea water, brine, and urine. For example, hydrolyzed crosslinked polyacrylamide absorbs 1,024 grams of deionized water per gram of polymer, but only 25 grams of synthetic urine per gram of polymer. Crosslinked polyacrylate absorbs 423 grams of deionized water per gram of polymer, but only 10 grams of synthetic urine per gram of polymer. Hydrolyzed crosslinked polyacrylonitrile absorbs 352 grams of deionized water per gram of polymer, but only 25 grams of synthetic urine per gram of polymer.

It would be a valuable contribution to the art to develop polymers with high absorbency to aqueous electrolyte solutions such as tap water, sea water, brine, and urine. It also would be a valuable contribution to the art to develop inexpensive polymers with high absorbency to aqueous electrolyte solutions. The market for these types of polymers is large and the uses are numerous. Therefore, seemingly small improvements in the absorbency translate into large savings in the quantity of polymer required to absorb these aqueous electrolyte solutions and large savings to the consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The polymers of the present invention comprise crosslinked polymers formed by the copolymerization an effective amount of each of the following components to produce a highly absorbent polymer:

(a) an ampholytic ion pair monomer comprising

(i) the ammonium cation 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium and

(ii) a sulfonate anion selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate, vinyl sulfonate, styrene sulfonate, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate, and any combination thereof;

(b) at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, alkali salts of acrylic acid, alkali salts of methacrylic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylamine, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and any combination of two or more thereof; and

(c) at least one crosslinking agent which has at least two polymerizable olefinic functionalities wherein each of the olefinic functionalities are suitable for crosslinking.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a method of absorbing an aqueous electrolyte solution comprising the step of contacting the polymers of the present invention with an aqueous electrolyte solution.

Thus, it is a general object of the present invention to provide the polymers of the present invention having improved absorbency to aqueous electrolyte solutions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of using the polymers of the present invention for absorbing aqueous electrolyte solutions comprising the step of contacting the polymers of the present invention with the aqueous electrolyte solution.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the description of the invention which follows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides polymers that are highly absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions. Typical aqueous electrolyte solutions include but are not limited to the group consisting of tap water, salt water, brine, and urine. The polymers of the present invention comprise polymers formed by the copolymerization an effective amount of each of the following components to produce a polymer which is highly absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions:

(a) an ampholytic ion pair monomer comprising

(i) the ammonium cation 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium (hereinafter MEDMA) and

(ii) a sulfonate anion selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (hereinafter AMPS® a trademark of Lubrizol), 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate (hereinafter MES), vinyl sulfonate, styrene sulfonate and any combination thereof;

(b) at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of acrylamide (hereinafter AM), methacrylamide, acrylonitrile (hereinafter AN), acrylic acid (hereinafter AA), methacrylic acid, alkali salts of acrylic acid (hereinafter X-AA), alkali salts of methacrylic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylamine, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and any combination of two or more thereof; and

(c) at least one crosslinking agent which has at least two polymerizable olefinic functionalities wherein each of the olefinic functionalities are suitable for crosslinking.

As used in this application, the term "alkali salts" is used generically, unless otherwise indicated, to mean alkali salts including but not limited to salts containing lithium, sodium, potassium, and ammonium cations.

As used in this application, the term "monomer" is used generically, unless otherwise indicated, to mean monomers, comonomers, termonomers, tetramonomers, etc. The term "comonomer" is used generically, unless otherwise indicated, to mean monomers, comonomers, termonomers, tetramonomers, etc. for polymers wherein there are at least two different monomers.

As used in this application, the term "polymer" is used generically, unless otherwise indicated, to mean homopolymers, copolymers, terpolymers, tetrapolymers, etc., and thus includes polymers prepared using any number of monomers. The term "copolymer" is used generically, unless otherwise indicated, to mean polymers prepared using two or more different monomers.

As used in this application, the term "hydrolysis" is used generically, unless otherwise indicated, to include hydrolysis of nitrile functionalities and hydrolysis of amide functionalities. These hydrolysis reactions are loosely referred to in the art as "saponification." Hydrolysis of these functionalities may occur under acidic or basic conditions. Under basic hydrolysis conditions, the term may also include, unless otherwise indicated, neutralization of carboxylic acid and sulfonic acid functionalities.

As used in this application, the term "graft" is used generically, unless otherwise indicated, to mean a method whereby organic polymers are bonded to a wide variety of other materials.

The ampholytic ion pair monomer used in the present invention may be prepared by titrating an aqueous solution of a sulfonic acid monomer to pH 7 with 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylamine at a temperature of about 0-15 C. The resulting aqueous solution containing the ampholytic ion pair may be purified by contacting the aqueous solution one or more times with small quantities of activated charcoal. The concentration of the ampholytic ion pair in the aqueous solution may be determined by evaporatively drying a known amount of the aqueous solution and weighting the residue.

Alternatively the ampholytic ion pair monomer for use in the practice of the present invention may be prepared by methods which are well known to those skilled in the art. For example, one of the ampholytic ion pair monomers can be prepared by reacting 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylamine with commercially available 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid or 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran. See J. C. Salamone, C. C. Tsai, A. P. Olson, and A. C. Watterson, Adv. Chemical Series, Volume 187, pages 337-346.

The olefinic comonomers can include but are not limited to the group consisting of acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, alkali salts of acrylic acid, alkali salts of methacrylic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylamine, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and combinations of two or more thereof. All these suitable olefinic comonomers are commercially available.

Suitable crosslinking agents can include but are not limited to the group consisting of N,N-diallylmethacrylamide, diallylamine, N,N-bisacrylamidoacetic acid, N,N'-bisacrylamidoacetic acid methylester, N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (methylene-bis-acrylamide), N,N'-benzylidenebisacrylamide, allylacrylate, diisopropenylbenzene, diallyl succinate, ethylene glycol diacrylate, diallylacrylamide, divinylbenzene, and any combination of two or more thereof. All these suitable crosslinking agents are commercially available.

The polymers of the present invention were generally prepared by mixing the various monomers in the desired stoichiometric ratios in aqueous solution and then initiating the free-radical copolymerization. The copolymerization of the ampholytic ion pair monomer with the olefinic comonomer and crosslinking agent can be achieved by any of the well known free-radical polymerization techniques in solution, suspension, or emulsion environment. Well known azo compounds commonly employed to initiate free radical polymerization reactions include 2,2'-azobis(N,N'-dimethylisobutyramidine) dihydrochloride, azobisisobutyronitrile, 4,4'-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid), 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethyl(4-methyoxyvaleronitride), 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride, 2-t-butylazo-2-cyano-4-methoxy-4-methylpentane, and 2-t-butylazo-2-cyano-4-methylpentane, and 4-t-butylazo-4-cyanovaleric acid. Well known inorganic peroxide compounds commonly employed to initiate free radical polymerization reactions include hydrogen peroxide, alkali metal persulfates, alkali metal perborates, alkali metal perphosphates, and alkali metal percarbonates. Well known organic peroxide compounds commonly employed to initiate free radical polymerization reactions include lauryl peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-bis(2-ethylhexanoylperoxy)hexane, t-butylperoxypivilate, t-butylperoctoate, p-menthane hydroperoxide, and benzoylperoxide. The compound t-butylhyponitrite is a well known alkyl hyponitrite commonly employed to initiate free radical polymerization reactions. Furthermore, ultraviolet light is commonly employed to initiate free radical polymerization reactions. In addition, such other methods of copolymerization as would have occurred to one skilled in the art may be employed, and the present invention is not limited to the particular method of preparing the crosslinked polymer set out herein.

These inventive copolymers containing an olefinic comonomer with amide, nitrile, carboxylic acid, or sulfonic acid functionalities or crosslinking agent with amide, nitrile, carboxylic acid, or sulfonic acid functionalities can optionally be at least partially hydrolyzed and/or neutralized by heating with aqueous base such as aqueous sodium hydroxide or aqueous potassium hydroxide. The degree of hydrolysis and/or neutralization can be controlled by stoichiometrically limiting the amount of base relative to the amount of amide, nitrile, carboxylic acid, and sulfonic acid functionalities. If the hydrolysis is carried out under acidic conditions, the amide and nitrile functionalities can be converted to carboxylic acid functionalities without neutralizing the carboxylic acid or sulfonic acid functionalities of the polymer.

The broadest range for the compositions of the inventive crosslinked MEDMA/sulfonate copolymers is an effective amount of each of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, olefinic comonomer, and crosslinking agent to produce a polymer highly absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions.

The preferred ranges for the compositions of the inventive polymers given in Tables I, II, and III reflect the relative stoichiometric amount in mole percent based on the total number of moles of all the various monomers mixed together before the copolymerization. The ratio of the crosslinking agent to the other monomers is based on the total number of moles of the ampholytic ion pair and the comonomers. The actual composition of the polymers of the present invention produced by the copolymerization reaction may vary slightly from the stoichiometric mixture before the copolymerization depending on the reaction conditions.

The broad and preferred ranges for the compositions of the inventive crosslinked MEDMA/sulfonate copolymers are given in Table I. These broad ranges for the compositions of the present invention are based on the experimental data provided in Example V, Tables VIII and IX, for those polymer compositions which produce an absorbency of at least 70 gram of synthetic urine per gram of inventive crosslinked MEDMA/sulfonate copolymer.

                                      TABLE I                                      __________________________________________________________________________     Broad Compositions For Inventive Polymers                                      MOLE PERCENT                    LINK                                           MEDMA/sulfonate                                                                               AM  AN  X-AMPS                                                                              X-AA                                                                               mole ratio*                                    __________________________________________________________________________     broad                                                                               3-50      50-97                                                                              --  --   --  0.01-0.3                                       preferred                                                                           5-50      50-95                                                                              --  --   --  0.01-0.2                                       broad                                                                               6-25      --  75-95                                                                              --   --  0.01-0.3                                       preferred                                                                           10-20     --  80-90                                                                              --   --  0.01-0.2                                       broad                                                                               10-25     --  --  75-90                                                                               --  0.01-0.3                                       preferred                                                                           15-20     --  --  80-85                                                                               --  0.01-0.2                                       broad                                                                               3-6       --  --  --   94-97                                                                              0.01-0.3                                       preferred                                                                           3-6       --  --  --   94-97                                                                              0.01-0.2                                       broad                                                                               1-10      13-25                                                                              --  65-86                                                                               --  0.01-0.3                                       preferred                                                                           3-6       13-20                                                                              --  74-84                                                                               --  0.01-0.2                                       broad                                                                               1-30      10-50                                                                              --  --   20-89                                                                              0.01-0.3                                       preferred                                                                           1-25      13-50                                                                              --  --   25-86                                                                              0.01-0.3                                       __________________________________________________________________________      MEDMA/sulfonate = 2methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium cation/a sulfonat      anion selected from the group consisting of 2acrylamido-2-methylpropane        sulfonate, 2methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate, vinyl sulfonate, styrene          sulfonate and combinations of two or more thereof.                             AM = Acrylamide                                                                AN = Acrylonitrile                                                             X-AMPS = Alkali salt of 2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (AMPS is a       trademark of Lubrizol Corporation)                                             X-AA = Alkali Salt of Acrylic Acid (Acrylate)                                  LINK = Crosslinking Agent                                                      *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                         

The more preferred and most preferred ranges for the compositions of the inventive crosslinked MEDMA/AMPS copolymers are given in Table II. These more preferred and most preferred ranges for the compositions of the present invention are based on the experimental data provided in Example V, Table VIII, for those polymer compositions which produce an absorbency of at least 70 gram of synthetic urine per gram of inventive MEDMA/AMPS polymer.

                                      TABLE II                                     __________________________________________________________________________     Preferred Compositions For Inventive MEDMA/AMPS Polymers                               MOLE PERCENT              LINK                                                 MEDMA/AMPS                                                                              AM  AN  X-AMPS                                                                              X-AA                                                                               mole ratio*                                  __________________________________________________________________________     more preferred                                                                          3-20    80-97                                                                              --  --   --  0.01-0.2                                     most preferred                                                                          5-10    90-95                                                                              --  --   --  0.01-0.1                                     more preferred                                                                         10-20    --  80-90                                                                              --   --  0.01-0.2                                     most preferred                                                                         10-20    --  80-90                                                                              --   --  0.01-0.1                                     more preferred                                                                         10-25    --  --  75-90                                                                               --  0.01-0.2                                     most preferred                                                                         15-20    --  --  80-85                                                                               --  0.01-0.1                                     more preferred                                                                         3-6      --  --  --   94-97                                                                              0.01-0.2                                     most preferred                                                                         3        --  --  --   97  0.01-0.1                                     more preferred                                                                          1-10    13-25                                                                              --  65-86                                                                               --  0.01-0.2                                     most preferred                                                                         3-6      13-20                                                                              --  74-84                                                                               --  0.01-0.1                                     more preferred                                                                         1-6      13-26                                                                              --  --   68-86                                                                              0.01-0.2                                     most preferred                                                                         1-3      13-26                                                                              --  --   71-86                                                                              0.01-0.1                                     __________________________________________________________________________      MEDMA/AMPS = 2methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium                             cation/2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate                                   AM = Acrylamide                                                                AN = Acrylonitrile                                                             X-AMPS = Alkali salt of 2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (AMPS is a       trademark of Lubrizol Corporation)                                             X-AA = Alkali Salt of Acrylic Acid (Acrylate)                                  LINK = Crosslinking Agent                                                      *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                         

The more preferred and most preferred ranges for the compositions of the inventive crosslinked MEDMA/MES copolymers are given in Table III. These more preferred and most preferred ranges for the compositions of the present invention are based on the experimental data provided in Example V, Table IX, for those polymer compositions which produce an absorbency of at least 70 gram of synthetic urine per gram of inventive crosslinked MEDMA/MES copolymer.

                                      TABLE III                                    __________________________________________________________________________     Preferred Compositions For Inventive MEDMA/MES Polymers                                MOLE PERCENT             LINK                                                  MEDMA/MES                                                                              AM  AN  X-AMPS                                                                              X-AA                                                                               mole ratio                                    __________________________________________________________________________     more preferred                                                                         10-50   50-90                                                                              --  --   --  0.01-0.2                                      most preferred                                                                         10-15   85-95                                                                              --  --   --  0.01-0.1                                      more preferred                                                                         15-20   --  80-85                                                                              --   --  0.01-0.2                                      most preferred                                                                         15-20   --  80-85                                                                              --   --  0.01-0.1                                      more preferred                                                                         10-25   --  --  75-90                                                                               --  0.01-0.2                                      most preferred                                                                         15-20   --  --  80-85                                                                               --  0.01-0.1                                      more preferred                                                                         3       --  --  --   97  0.01-0.2                                      most preferred                                                                         3       --  --  --   97  0.01-0.1                                      more preferred                                                                          1-10   13-25                                                                              --  65-86                                                                               --  0.01-0.2                                      most preferred                                                                         3-6     13-20                                                                              --  74-84                                                                               --  0.01-0.1                                      more preferred                                                                          3-25   13-47                                                                              --  --   28-84                                                                              0.01-0.2                                      most preferred                                                                          3-15   13-35                                                                              --  --   50-84                                                                              0.01-0.1                                      __________________________________________________________________________      MEDMA/MES = 2methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium                              cation/2methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate                                        AM = Acrylamide                                                                AN = Acrylonitrile                                                             X-AMPS = Alkali salt of 2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (AMPS is a       trademark of Lubrizol Corporation)                                             X-AA = Alkali Salt of Acrylic Acid (Acrylate)                                  LINK = Crosslinking Agent                                                      *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                         

A further aspect of the invention relates to a method of absorbing aqueous electrolyte solutions comprising the step of contacting the polymers of the present invention with the aqueous solution. Typical aqueous electrolyte solutions are not limited to but may be selected from the group consisting of tap water, sea water, brine, and urine. For the purpose of this specification tap water is defined to have electrolyte concentration of less than 500 ppm of dissolved electrolytes, urine is defined to have an electrolyte concentration of from greater than 500 ppm to at most 10,000 ppm dissolved electrolytes, sea water is defined to have an electrolyte concentration from greater than 10,000 ppm to at most 34,000 ppm and brine is defined to have an electrolyte concentration of from greater than 34,000 ppm to the saturation point of the aqueous solution.

The following examples are intended to illustrate the advantages of this invention but are not intended to unduly limit this invention.

EXAMPLE I

The control data in Table IV demonstrates that although known polymers are highly absorbent to deionized water, they are dramatically less absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions such as salt water and urine. Known polymer compositions include crosslinked polyacrylamide, partially saponified crosslinked polyacrylamide, crosslinked polyacrylonitrile, partially saponified crosslinked acrylonitrile, crosslinked polyacrylic acid, neutralized crosslinked polyacrylic acid, crosslinked polyacrylate, and polymers thereof with sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate. The best of these known polymers absorbs up to about 60 grams of urine per gram of polymer, and most of the known polymers absorb much less than 50 grams of urine per gram of polymer.

The polymers of the control data were prepared by mixing the monomers in the proportions given in Table IV in an aqueous solution of deionized water. The monomers were present in about 30-40 weight percent relative to the amount of deionized water. The free radical polymerization was initiated with commercially available 2,2'-azobis(N,N'-dimethylisobutyramidine) dihydrochloride. About 0.1 mole percent based on the total moles of the monomers of the azo free-radical initiator was employed. The reaction mixture was then degassed by bubbling nitrogen gas through the mixture for 15 minutes. The reaction temperature was maintained between 20°-35° C. for 24 hours. The reactions produced transparent or cloudy hard gels of the crosslinked polymers. A large volume of deionized water was added to the polymer product and the polymers were allowed to swell for about 24 hours. The swelled polymers were dried in a forced convection oven at 74° C. The dried polymers were then mechanically blended to a powder.

Some of the polymers were hydrolyzed and neutralized with a strong base such as aqueous sodium hydroxide or aqueous potassium hydroxide. The degree of hydrolysis or neutralization could be controlled by stoichiometrically limiting the amount of base relative to the amount of amide, nitrile, or carboxylic acid functionalities. A suspension of 1 gram of the polymer in about 20 milliliters of 0.5 molar aqueous sodium hydroxide was heated to 95° C. until a light golden-yellow color was obtained. The mixture was then transferred to a dialysis bag with a molecular weight cut-off of 12,000-14,000 and dialyzed exhaustively against distilled water until the viscous polymer gel had reached pH 7. This viscous polymer gel was then poured into a plastic dish and dried in a forced convection oven at 74° C. The dried polymers were then mechanically blended to a powder.

The dried polymers were then tested for deionized water absorption and synthetic urine absorption. About 1 liter of deionized water or synthetic urine was added to 0.1 to 0.5 gram of the dried polymer and allowed to stand for 24 hours. The polymer was then separated from the excess unabsorbed liquid by screening through a 100 mesh per inch stainless steel sieve. The absorbency was determined by weighing the isolated polymer containing the absorbed liquid and subtracting the weight of the dry polymer. The absorbency was measured in units of grams of liquid per grams of polymer. The synthetic urine was prepared by dissolving 0.64 gram CaCl₂, 1.14 gram MgSO₄.7H₂ O, 8.20 gram NaCl, and 20.0 gram urea into 1000 gram deionized water. Several of the polymers were tested two or three times, and the experimental error was within plus or minus 2-5 percent. This small experimental error was largely caused by gel blocking and minor diffusion problems that prevented the aqueous liquid from contacting with all the polymer.

                                      TABLE IV                                     __________________________________________________________________________     Control Data                                                                   MOLE PERCENT         LINK      g/g**                                           AMPS                                                                               AM  AN  AA  X-AA mole ratio*                                                                          XOH DIW SU                                          __________________________________________________________________________     --  100 --  --  --   0.05  NO   17 15                                          --  100 --  --  --   0.05  YES 1024                                                                               25                                          --  100 --  --  --   0.05  YES 364 40                                          --  100 --  --  --   0.20  NO   13   12.5                                      --  100 --  --  --   0.20  YES 295 16                                          --  --  100 --  --   0.05  YES 608 46                                          --  --  100 --  --   0.10  NO   0   0                                          --  --  100 --  --   0.10  YES 414 42                                          --  --  100 --  --   0.20  YES 352 25                                          --  --  --  100 --   0.20  NO   21 11                                          --  --  --  100 --   0.20  Neutr.                                                                             423 10                                          --  --  --  --  100 (K)                                                                             0.05  NO  669 57                                          --  --  --  --  100 (Na)                                                                            0.05  NO  505 41                                          --  13  --  --  87   0.05  NO  --  65                                          3   13  --  --  84   0.05  NO  350 38                                          3   20  --  --  77   0.05  NO  417 47                                          6   13  --  --  81   0.05  NO  738 56                                          6   26  --  --  68   0.05  NO  533 47                                          6   --  --  --  94   0.05  NO  488 55                                          10  13  --  --  77   0.05  NO  570 59                                          20  13  --  --  67   0.05  NO  624 62                                          100 --  --  --  --   0.05  NO  Soluble                                         __________________________________________________________________________      AMPS = 2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (Note: AMPS is a trademark o      2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid.)                                    AM = Acrylamide                                                                AN = Acrylonitrile                                                             AA = Acrylic Acid                                                              X-AA =  Alkali Salt of Acrylic Acid (Acrylate)                                 LINK = Methylenebis-acrylamide CrossLinking Agent                              *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                               XOH = Basic Hydrolysis and/or Neutralization with aqueous NaOH or KOH          DIW = Deionized Water                                                          SU = Synthetic Urine                                                           *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                               **g/g = absorbency units of gram aqueous liquid per gram dried polymer.  

EXAMPLE II

The control data in Table V demonstrates that although commercially available water absorbing materials are highly absorbent to water, they are also dramatically less absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions such as salt water and urine. The commercially available water absorbing materials tested include poly(co-acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) grafted onto starch, a commercial acrylamide polymer sold under the trademark "Water Grabber"® ("Water Grabber" is a trademark of F. P. Products, Inc.), "LUVS"® diaper absorbent ("LUVS" is a trademark of Procter & Gamble Co.), "Pampers"® diaper absorbent ("Pampers" is a trademark of Procter & Gamble Co.), and "Favor 960"® (Stockhausen, Inc.). The best of these known materials absorb up to about 56 grams of urine per gram of absorbing material, and most of the known polymers absorb much less than 40 grams of urine per gram of absorbing material.

                  TABLE V                                                          ______________________________________                                         Control Data For Commercial Materials                                                                 g/g*                                                    Commercial Material      DIW     SU                                            ______________________________________                                         COMMERCIAL STARCH-g-POLY(AM-AA)                                                                         345     37                                            WATER GRABBER ® (AM COPOLYMER)                                                                      440     34                                            LUVS ® DIAPER ABSORBENT                                                                             191     16                                            PAMPERS ® DIAPER ABSORBENT                                                                          171     12                                            FAVOR 960 ®          369     56                                            ______________________________________                                          g = graft                                                                      AM = Acrylamide                                                                AA = Acrylic Acid                                                              DIW = Deionized Water                                                          SU = Synthetic Urine                                                           *g/g = absorbency units of gram aqueous liquid per gram dried polymer.   

EXAMPLE III

The homopolymers of the ampholytic ion pair monomers comprising 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (MEDMA/AMPS) ("AMPS" is a trademark of Lubrizol Corporation for 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) or 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate (MEDMA/MES) with 0.05 weight percent methylene-bis-acrylamide cross linking agent was tested for these absorbency to deionized water and synthetic urine. The absorbency of homopolymers is very poor. See Table VI. The absorbency to deionized water is less than 10 gram water per gram of homopolymer, and only 10 and 20 gram synthetic urine per gram of homopolymer, respectively.

                  TABLE VI                                                         ______________________________________                                         Control Data For Ion Pair Homopolymer                                          MOLE PERCENT       LINK      g/g**                                             MEDMA/AMPS MEDMA/MES   mole ratio*                                                                              DIW   SU                                      ______________________________________                                         100        --          0.05      8     10                                      --         100         0.05      9     20                                      ______________________________________                                          MEDMA/AMPS = 2methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium cation                      2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate anion                                    MEDMA/MES = 2methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium cation                       2methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate anion                                         LINK = Methylenebis-acrylamide CrossLinking Agent                              DIW = Deionized Water                                                          SU = Synthetic Urine                                                           *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                               **g/g = absorbency units of gram aqueous liquid per gram dried polymer.  

EXAMPLE IV

The control data in Table VII demonstrates that although the known ampholytic ion pair 3-methacrylamidopropyltrimethylammonium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (MPTMA/AMPS) copolymerized with acrylamide is highly absorbent to deionized water, it is dramatically less absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions such as salt water, brine, and urine. The absorbency to synthetic urine is about the same as for the better of the known polymers and commercial materials. The MPTMA/AMPS-acrylamide copolymer also has been grafted onto starch using ceric ion or cobalt-60 irradiation. These starch grafted copolymers are poorly absorbent to deionized water, and only slightly more absorbent to synthetic urine. The better of these known polymers absorbs up to about 56 grams of urine per gram of polymer, but the rest absorb less than 30 grams of urine per gram of polymer.

                  TABLE VII                                                        ______________________________________                                         Control Data For Known                                                         MPTMA/AMPS-Acrylamide Copolymers                                                                 LINK                                                         MOLE PERCENT      mole            g/g**                                        MPTMA/AMPS AM     Starch  ratio*                                                                               XOH   DIW   SU                                 ______________________________________                                         10         90     --      --    NO    soluble                                  10         90     --      0.20  YES   428   56                                 8.56       27.30  64.86   --    NO     9.83 16.21                              8.98       41.76  49.26   --    NO    11.54 16.62                              15.01      64.96  20.03   --    NO    14.11 29.45                              ______________________________________                                          MPTMA/AMPS = 2methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium                             cation/2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate anion                             AM = Acrylamide                                                                LINK = Methylenebis-acrylamide CrossLinking Agent                              XOH = Basic Hydrolysis and/or Neutralization with aqueous NaOH or KOH          DIW = Deionized Water                                                          SU = Synthetic Urine                                                           *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                               **g/g = absorbency units of gram aqueous liquid per gram dried polymer.        ***J. C. Salamone, E. L. Rodriguez, K. C. Lin, L. Quach, A. C. Watterson       and I. Ahmed, Polymer 26, 1234-38 (1985).                                

EXAMPLE V

The polymers of the present invention were prepared according to the method described in Example I, except that the inventive polymers were prepared by mixing the monomers in the proportions given in Tables VIII and IX.

The inventive polymers were tested for absorbency to deionized water and synthetic urine. The tested polymers of the present invention comprise polymers formed by the copolymerization an effective amount of each of the following components to produce a polymer highly absorbent to aqueous electrolyte solutions:

(a) an ampholytic ion pair monomer comprising

(i) the ammonium cation 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium and

(ii) a sulfonate anion selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate, and any combination thereof;

(b) at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, alkali salts of acrylic acid, alkali salts of methacrylic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylamine, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, and any combination of two or more thereof; and

(c) at least one crosslinking agent which has at least two polymerizable olefinic functionalities wherein each of the olefinic functionalities are suitable for crosslinking.

Suitable crosslinking agents include but are not limited to the group consisting of N,N-diallylmethacrylamide, diallylamine, N,N-bisacrylamidoacetic acid, N,N'-bisacrylamidoacetic acid methylester, N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (methylene-bis-acrylamide), N,N'-benzylidenebisacrylamide, allylacrylate, diisopropenylbenzene, diallyl succinate, ethylene glycol diacrylate, diallylacrylamide, divinylbenzene, and any combination of two or more thereof. The inventive polymers in this example were prepared using methylene-bis-acrylamide as the crosslinking agent.

Some of these inventive polymers in this example which contain an olefinic comonomer with amide, nitrile, carboxylic acid, or sulfonic acid functionalities or crosslinking agent with amide, nitrile, carboxylic acid, or sulfonic acid funtionalities were hydrolyzed and neutralized with an aqueous base such as aqueous sodium hydroxide or aqueous potassium hydroxide.

                                      TABLE VIII                                   __________________________________________________________________________     Experimental Data For Inventive MEDMA/AMPS Polymers                            MOLE PERCENT            LINK      g/g**                                        MEDMA/AMPS                                                                              AM AN X-AMPS                                                                              X-AA                                                                               mole ratio*                                                                          XOH DIW                                                                               SU                                        __________________________________________________________________________      5       95 -- --   --  0.05  YES 666                                                                               100                                       10       90 -- --   --  0.05  YES 740                                                                               112                                       15       85 -- --   --  0.05  YES 635                                                                               76                                        20       80 -- --   --  0.05  YES 486                                                                               80                                         5       -- 95 --   --  0.10  YES 256                                                                               51                                        10       -- 90 --   --  0.10  YES 500                                                                               97                                        15       -- 85 --   --  0.10  YES 594                                                                               108                                       20       -- 80 --   --  0.10  YES 600                                                                               92                                         6       -- -- 94   --  0.05  NO  215                                                                               60                                        10       -- -- 90   --  0.05  NO  256                                                                               69                                        15       -- -- 85   --  0.05  NO  260                                                                               82                                        20       -- -- 80   --  0.05  NO  479                                                                               81                                         3       -- -- --   97  0.05  NO  609                                                                               74                                         6       -- -- --   94  0.05  NO  467                                                                               70                                        10       -- -- --   90  0.05  NO  553                                                                               65                                         3       13 -- 84   --  0.05  NO  527                                                                               84                                         3       13 -- 84   --  0.05  NO  600                                                                               83                                         6       10 -- 84   --  0.05  NO  310                                                                               64                                         3       20 -- 77   --  0.05  NO  600                                                                               80                                          1.5    26 -- --     72.5                                                                             0.05  NO  922                                                                               75                                         3       13 -- --   84  0.05  NO  755                                                                               80                                         3       13 -- --   84  0.05  NO  728                                                                               80                                         3       20 -- --   77  0.05  NO  836                                                                               75                                         3       20 -- --   77  0.05  NO  800                                                                               77                                         3       26 -- --   71  0.05  NO  -- 80                                         3       26 -- --   71  0.05  NO  -- 80                                         6       26 -- --   68  0.05  NO  775                                                                               70                                         6       26 -- --   68  0.05  NO  752                                                                               70                                        10       13 -- --   77  0.05  NO  709                                                                               60                                        10       20 -- --   70  0.05  NO  543                                                                               75                                        10       20 -- --   70  0.10  NO  500                                                                               65                                        10       26 -- --   64  0.05  NO  658                                                                               60                                        __________________________________________________________________________      MEDMA/AMPS = 2methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium                             cation/2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate anion                             AM = Acrylamide                                                                AN = Acrylonitrile                                                             X-AMPS = Alkali salt of 2acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (AMPS is a       trademark of Lubrizol Corporation)                                             X-AA = Alkali Salt of Acrylic Acid (Acrylate)                                  LINK = Methylenebis-acrylamide CrossLinking Agent                              XOH = Basic Hydrolysis and/or Neutralization with aqueous NaOH or KOH          DIW = Deionized Water                                                          SU = Synthetic Urine                                                           *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                               **g/g = absorbency units of gram aqueous liquid per gram dried polymer.  

                                      TABLE IX                                     __________________________________________________________________________     Experimental Data For Inventive MEDMA/MES Polymers                             MOLE PERCENT          LINK      g/g**                                          MEDMA/MES                                                                              AM AN  AA X-AA                                                                               mole ratio*                                                                          XOH DIW SU                                         __________________________________________________________________________     10      90 --  -- --  0.05  YES 694 106                                        14      86 --  -- --  0.05  YES 1200                                                                               105                                        15      85 --  -- --  0.04  YES 1300                                                                               121                                        15      85 --  -- --  0.05  YES 1500                                                                               120                                        20      80 --  -- --  0.04  YES 1200                                                                               85                                         23      77 --  -- --  0.04  YES 1008                                                                               90                                         25      75 --  -- --  0.04  YES 1000                                                                               90                                         50      50 --  -- --  0.05  YES 622 100                                         6      -- 94  -- --  0.05  YES 480 70                                         10      -- 90  -- --  0.05  YES 443 77                                         15      -- 85  -- --  0.05  YES 678 110                                        20      -- 80  -- --  0.05  YES 387 106                                        25      -- 75  -- --  0.05  YES 200 70                                         50      -- 50  -- --  0.05  YES 274 45                                          3      -- --  -- 97  0.05  NO  873 70                                          3      13 --  -- 84  0.05  NO  616 90                                          3      27 --  -- 70  0.05  NO  462 85                                          3      35 --  -- 62  0.05  NO  739 80                                          3      47 --  -- 50  0.05  NO  694 72                                          3      57 --  -- 40  0.05  NO  609 67                                          6      13 --  -- 81  0.05  NO  521 83                                         10      13 --  -- 77  0.05  NO  358 84                                         15      13 --  -- 72  0.05  NO  528 86                                         25      13 --  -- 62  0.05  NO  473 74                                         10      40 --  -- 50  0.05  NO  739 80                                         __________________________________________________________________________      MEDMA/MES = 2methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium                              cation/2methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate anion                                  AM = Acrylamide                                                                AN = Acrylonitrile                                                             AA = Acrylic Acid                                                              X-AA = Alkali Salt of Acrylic Acid (Acrylate)                                  LINK = Methylenebis-acrylamide CrossLinking Agent                              XOH = Basic Hydrolysis and/or Neutralization with aqueous NaOH or KOH          DIW = Deionized Water                                                          SU = Synthetic Urine                                                           *mole ratio = mole crosslinking agent per 100 mole of the ampholytic ion       pair monomer and the comonomers.                                               **g/g = absorbency units of gram aqueous liquid per gram dried polymer.  

The data in Tables VIII and XI demonstrates that these polymers exhibit significantly improved absorbency to aqueous electrolyte solutions such as urine over the absorbency of the known polymers listed in Table IV, the commercially available materials listed in Table V, the crosslinked MEDMA/sulfonate homopolymers listed in Table VI, and the analogous crosslinked MPTMA/AMPS-acrylamide copolymers listed in Table VII.

The absorbency of these polymers to urine is highly unexpected in view of the fact that the homopolymers of MEDMA/sulfonate with 0.05 mole percent crosslinking agent only absorb about 10 grams of synthetic urine per gram of the polymer. See Table VI. This demonstrates that the monomers when combined into the polymers of the present invention act synergistically to increase the absorbency of the polymers to aqueous liquids such as salt water and urine.

Taking an absorbency of about 56 grams of synthetic urine per gram of polymer as about the best of the known polymers, the preferred polymers of the present invention exceed this absorbency to urine by 25-116 percent (70-121 grams synthetic urine per gram of inventive polymer, Table VIII and Table IX, compared to 56 grams urine per gram for the best known materials, Tables IV, V, VI, and VII) without sacrificing absorbency to deionized water. These improved absorbencies translate into large savings in the quantity of polymer required and large savings to the consumer.

Reasonable variations can be made in view of the foregoing disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. 

We claim:
 1. A method of absorbing an aqueous electrolyte solution comprising the step of contacting a polymer with the aqueous electrolyte solution wherein the polymer is formed by the copolymerization of an effective amount of each of the following components to produce a highly absorbent polymer:(a) an ampholytic ion pair monomer comprising(i) the ammonium cation 2-methacryloyloxyethyldimethylammonium and (ii) a sulfonate anion selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate, vinyl sulfonate, styrene sulfonate and combinations of two or more thereof; (b) at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, alkali salts of acrylic acid, alkali salts of methacrylic acid, 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and combinations of two or more thereof; and (c) at least one crosslinking agent which has at least two polymerizable olefinic functionalities wherein each of the olefinic functionalities is suitable for crosslinking.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of N,N-diallylmethacrylamide, diallylamine, N,N-bisacrylamidoacetic acid, N,N'-bisacrylamidoacetic acid methylester, N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (methylene-bis-acrylamide), N,N'-benzylidenebisacrylamide, allylacrylate, diisopropenylbenzene, diallyl succinate, ethylene glycol diacrylate, diallylacrlamide, divinylbenzene, and combinations of two or more thereof.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the crosslinking agent comprises N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymer is at least partially hydrolyzed.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymer is at least partially neutralized.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the comonomer is selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, alkali salts of acrylic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, alkali salts of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acids and combinations of two or more thereof.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the comonomer is acrylamide.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the polymer comprises a polymer formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 50 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 50 mole percent to about 97 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.3 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 5 mole percent to about 50 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 50 mole percent to about 95 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the sulfonate anion is 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 80 mole percent to about 97 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 5 mole percent to about 10 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 90 mole percent to about 95 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 13. The method of claim 7 wherein the sulfonate anion is 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 10 mole percent to about 50 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 50 mole percent to about 90 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 10 mole percent to about 15 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 85 mole percent to about 90 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 16. The method of claim 6 wherein the comonomer is acrylonitrile.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the polymer comprises a polymer formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 6 mole percent to about 25 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 75 mole percent to about 94 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.3 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 10 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 80 mole percent to about 90 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 19. The method of claim 16 wherein the sulfonate anion is 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 10 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 80 mole percent to about 90 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 10 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 80 mole percent to about 90 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 22. The method of claim 16 wherein the sulfonate anion is 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate.
 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 15 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 80 mole percent to about 85 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 24. The method of claim 23 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 15 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 80 mole percent to about 85 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 25. The method of claim 6 wherein the comonomer is an alkali salt of acrylic acid.
 26. The method of claim 25 wherein the polymer comprises a polymer formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 6 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 94 mole percent to about 97 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.3 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 6 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 94 mole percent to about 97 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 28. The method of claim 25 wherein the sulfonate anion is 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate.
 29. The method of claim 28 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 6 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 94 mole percent to about 97 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 30. The method of claim 29 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 97 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 31. The method of claim 25 wherein the sulfonate anion is 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate.
 32. The method of claim 31 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 97 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 33. The method of claim 32 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 97 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 34. The method of claim 6 wherein the comonomer is an alkali salt of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid.
 35. The method of claim 34 wherein the polymer comprises a polymer formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 10 mole percent to about 25 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 75 mole percent to about 90 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.3 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 15 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 80 mole percent to about 85 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 37. The method of claim 34 wherein the sulfonate anion is selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate and 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate.
 38. The method of claim 37 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 10 mole percent to about 25 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 75 mole percent to about 90 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 39. The method of claim 38 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 15 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, and (b) in the range of about 80 mole percent to about 85 mole percent of the comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (c) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 40. The method of claim 6 wherein the comonomer is a combination of acrylamide and alkali salt of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid.
 41. The method of claim 40 wherein the polymer comprises a polymer formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 1 mole percent to about 10 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 25 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 65 mole percent to about 86 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.3 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 42. The method of claim 41 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 6 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 74 mole percent to about 84 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 43. The method of claim 40 wherein the sulfonate anion is selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate and 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate.
 44. The method of claim 43 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 1 mole percent to about 10 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 25 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 65 mole percent to about 86 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 45. The method of claim 43 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 6 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 20 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 74 mole percent to about 84 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 46. The method of claim 6 wherein the comonomer is a combination of acrylamide and alkali salt of acrylic acid.
 47. The method of claim 46 wherein the polymer comprises a polymer formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 1 mole percent to about 30 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 10 mole percent to about 50 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 20 mole percent to about 89 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.3 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 48. The method of claim 47 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 1 mole percent to about 25 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 50 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 25 mole percent to about 86 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 49. The method of claim 46 wherein the sulfonate anion is 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate.
 50. The method of claim 49 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 1 mole percent to about 6 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 26 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 68 mole percent to about 86 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 51. The method of claim 50 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 1 mole percent to about 3 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 26 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 71 mole percent to about 86 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 52. The method of claim 46 wherein the sulfonate anion is 2-methacryloyloxyethane sulfonate.
 53. The method of claim 52 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 25 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 47 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 28 mole percent to about 84 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.2 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 54. The method of claim 53 wherein the polymer is formed by the polymerization of:(a) in the range of about 3 mole percent to about 15 mole percent of the ampholytic ion pair monomer, (b) in the range of about 13 mole percent to about 35 mole percent of the acrylamide monomer, and (c) in the range of about 50 mole percent to about 84 mole percent of the alkali salt of acrylic acid comonomer, wherein the total amount of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer equals 100 mole percent; and (d) in the range of about 0.01 mole of the crosslinking agent to about 0.1 mole of the crosslinking agent per 100 moles of the ampholytic ion pair monomer and the comonomer.
 55. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous electrolyte solution is tap water.
 56. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous electrolyte solution is sea water.
 57. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous electrolyte solution is brine.
 58. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous electrolyte solution is urine. 